SADD Warns Against Holiday Drunk Driving

The Pennsylvania chief of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) says parents should take steps to prevent their teenage children from driving drunk over the holidays.

State SADD Coordinator Felicity Debacco-Ernie says teens are often exposed to alcohol at holiday parties, increasing their chances of consuming booze before getting on the roadways.

Debacco-Ernie says parents should talk to their teenage children about drunk driving during the holidays.

“Especially when they become teenagers, let them know that there are laws out there that are there to protect young people who are under 21,” says Debacco-Ernie, “but also that teens can call their parents as a resort if they find themselves in a situation where they need somebody who is not impaired to drive them home.”

According to the Allegheny County Health Department, drug- or alcohol-impaired driving causes more Pennsylvania teen deaths than all other causes combined.

Debacco-Ernie says if a family is going to a holiday party with alcohol, there should be a designated driver.

Holiday Travel Likely to Increase This Year

AAA predicts a 3.1% increase in national holiday travel this year over last year. That estimate includes 70,000 more Pennsylvanians who may travel this year due to a brighter economic outlook.

AAA East-Central Director of Travel Ruth Nagy says many people postponed or canceled their holiday trips last year, so there is pent-up demand for vacations more than 50 miles.

Nagy says the travel industry has slowly been gaining speed since a large travel decrease in 2009.

“We saw double-digit drops in travel, so although we’ve had increases for the holidays in 2010, we still aren’t matching the 2008 travel numbers, because in 2009 we dropped so drastically,” says Nagy.

Nagy says modest economic improvements have also allowed the average distance and spending of trips to increase as well.

As usual, most of this year’s travelers are predicted to go by car, with airline travel coming in a distant second place.

PAT Provides Free Transit For Jan. 1

Penguin fans can enjoy free public transit across the county and to Heinz Field for the Winter Classic New Year's Day. Pepsi MAX is covering the day’s transit fares for all Port Authority Transit services around the city.

“The free rides are valid on any Port Authority service that is running on New Year’s Day,” PAT spokeswoman Heather Pharo says. “That includes any bus route, T route and also the [Monongahela] Incline.”

Port Authority will also be running a shuttle to the stadium on a schedule similar to a Sunday Steelers game. The schedule is available on the Port Authority website. All transit routes will run on a holiday schedule, which Pharo says is similar to a Sunday schedule.

“In most cases if a route runs on a Sunday, it will run on a holiday,” Pharo says.

Pharo says the PAT isn’t concerned with too much usage causing problems because the day is still a holiday and the majority of the traffic will be heading towards the game.

More People to Travel this Holiday Weekend

After a record decline in travel over last year's Independence Day weekend, AAA is anticipating a surge this year as people get away for the long weekend. Beverley Powell, a spokesperson for the East Central Region says in 2009 travel dropped 20% nationally, but this year they're expecting an increase of 17% due to a brightening economic outlook and pent up demand last summer's "staycations." Across the country, 34.9 million people will get away for the weekend, including about 1.22 million Pennsylvanians -- 1.08 million of which will be driving to their destination. AAA says on average gas prices should stay around $2.70-$2.80 per gallon, but Powell recommends travelers check the AAA website to find where the cheapest gas is available. She also advises drivers to take to the roads during off hours, especially in the evening and make sure they have directions and alternate routes handy.